


Poisoned Wine

by Onehelluvapilot



Series: Tumblr prompt fics [26]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hurt Lancelot (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Poisoning, Protective Leon (Merlin), Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:34:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27395053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot
Summary: Lancelot is poisoned during a feast and Leon helps take care of him
Relationships: Lancelot & Leon (Merlin), Lancelot & Merlin (Merlin)
Series: Tumblr prompt fics [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922554
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	Poisoned Wine

"Woah there, seems like tonight you're the one who's had a little too much to drink, my friend," Gwaine teased Lancelot as he had to steady him when they stood. The more restrained knight usually didn't allow himself to become more than tipsy, especially not at feasts, but now he was swaying on his feet. He dropped his hands down to the edge of the table for stability, fingers trying to dig into the wood. Shaking his head to clear it seemed to have been a bad idea as he hissed in pain and raised his hand back up to his temple, his eyes pressing closed. Gwaine frowned at that. Normally a headache was a symptom of a hangover, not drunkenness; alcohol was supposed to blunt your pain in the moment, and only make you pay for it later.

"I thought I told the servants not to bring you too much wine," Leon whispered angrily at them. "Or did you woo them enough to get yourselves drunk?"

The feast was breaking up and most people were starting to head home, but there were still a good number of guests in the hall, so the First Knight didn't want to make a scene. That didn't seem possible to avoid, though, as Lancelot's legs abruptly folded under him. Only the other knights darting forward to catch him kept him from collapsing completely. Leon caught his head and shoulders before he could hit the stone floor and pulled him back from the table a little before easing him down. Lancelot's eyelids fluttered before he opened them again.

"I don't feel so good," he muttered.

"I should think not," Gwaine replied. "Given that you just fainted."

"We should get him to Gaius," Leon said. "Help me with him." Together they managed to get Lancelot to his feet and pulled his arms over their shoulders to carry him. He tried to support his own weight but stumbled nearly every step. Elyan ran ahead to inform the physician that they'd be bringing him in.

"Lay him on the cot," he instructed when they reached his chambers. "What happened?"

"He seemed to get a little unsteady when he stood, and then he fainted," Leon explained as he took up a protective position near Lancelot's head. The knight's brows were pinched in pain and his mouth open as he gasped for breath. Gaius came up and pulled his eyelids back so that he could check each pupil.

"He's been poisoned," the physician announced. "Merlin, I need the-"

"Castor oil and mustard emetic," the servant finished, already passing it over. He grabbed a bucket too and put it on the ground near Leon's feet.

"Lancelot, drink this," Gaius instructed, raising the bottle to his lips. He poured some into the knight's mouth before pressing his jaw up to hold it closed until he swallowed. It was just a second before he coughed and spluttered and the physician rolled him onto his side to throw up over the side of the cot. Merlin braced his heaving shoulders so he didn't fall off, and Leon held his hair out of the way and cupped a hand over his forehead to support his head as it sagged in exhaustion when he'd finished bringing his dinner back up. He was conscious enough to groan when Gaius said that they'd need to induce vomiting again, to be sure his stomach was emptied of the poison. Leon took his left side and Merlin his right as they eased him upright and propped him up between them. It would be easier on his abused throat that way, and easier to keep him conscious. He was weak and shaking slightly and it only got worse after the second round. Struggling to stay awake, he leaned heavily against Leon's side.

"Can I lie back down?" He asked breathlessly, and Gaius nodded. Leon eased him back down to the cot, where he lay still with his eyes clenched closed. Evidently, he was still in some measure of pain. A fact that was confirmed by how tightly he grasped Leon's hand when it slipped in to hold his. 

"Will he be alright?" Merlin asked.

"He should be. Hopefully the vomiting got most of the poison out before it took effect. As for what did, it may take a few days to get it out of his system, but there shouldn't be any lasting effects. I'm afraid I can't give you anything for the pain, Lancelot, or to lessen the other symptoms. Without knowing exactly what the poison was, it's too risky that the medicine could interact with it."

"It's okay," Lancelot said, but his voice was tight.

"I'll work on finding out what it might have been, and on finding an antidote. There may be some mild herbs we can use in the meantime as well." Gaius was evidently determined not to let his patient suffer needlessly. "But for now, Merlin, we just need to keep him hydrated and warm."

Leon nodded and looked around the room for a blanket. His eyes caught on Arthur instead, standing in the doorway.

"How is he?" The king asked. Someone must've been sent to tell him what happened, and of course he'd come to check up on his knight immediately. Despite the fact that there was possibly still an attempted assassin running around the castle. 

"He'll recover," Gaius informed him. "The question is, how was he poisoned, and why?"

"We'll start an investigation immediately," Arthur replied with a nod. "Leon can head it- oh." He had looked in and seen that the First Knight was still knelt beside Lancelot's bed, one hand holding his and the other resting comfortingly on his head. "Never mind. I can lead the investigation myself if you want to stay here with him." Leon nodded, both in answer and in thanks, and Merlin brought over a bench for the two of them to sit on beside Lancelot. "Take care of him," Arthur instructed before leaving them.

"I'm planning on it," Leon whispered as he smoothed the knight's hair back from his forehead. Lance smiled weakly. He hadn't even known that he was still awake, since his eyes were closed.

"You probably saved his life already, by limiting how much the knights drink at feasts," Merlin said. "If it was the wine that was poisoned, that is." That seemed likely, given that the knights had all eaten from the same platter of food, but had separate goblets of wine. "If he'd drank any more it, it might've been fatal. And speaking of that, do you think you can drink something, Lance? We need to make sure you don't get dehydrated."

The knight nodded, and Leon helped him sit up, but he was falling asleep in his arms after taking just a few sips. That was alright. He needed his rest to fight through the effects of the poison. Merlin went to grab him a blanket from his room, and Leon shifted the bench so he could lie his head down beside Lancelot's on the cot and keep him company in sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to hear what you thought of it!


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